


Things to Know About Rachel Amber

by Lola_McGee



Series: Ambers Anonymous [2]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: (Some very small amount), And characters mentioned (but not appearing) from that, Angst, But they know that, Character Study, F/F, Humour, If that's the ship name, Is really really background, Mostly character dialogue adapted from that, Not obscure, Rachel Amber Lives, References to smoking marijuana, Some minor minor Before the Storm spoilers, The Christenward, There are really obscure references to my favourite joke of all time, Well - Freeform, Whether Amberfield is still happening at the end is a bit up in the air, also, and drinking, and they try to get better, depiction of not great relationships, just weird
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-12-31 23:29:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12143448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lola_McGee/pseuds/Lola_McGee
Summary: After returning from Seattle, and her run-in with Max, Rachel Amber gets bored.  And, if you know enough about Rachel, that's not a great thing all around.





	Things to Know About Rachel Amber

**Author's Note:**

> So, basically what happened was, I played "Before the Storm" and cried about Chloe Price and Rachel Amber. Then what I did, was reread ItsAVikingThing's fic "Max the Criminal" that they gifted to me since they're awesome. Then I begged to let me write a sequel idea I had, they agreed, and then continued to give me good ideas that I used instead. So like, large portions of this fic is basically due to the many great ideas that ItsAVikingThing has. And then, to top it all of, they agreed to making it a series! So like this is the official sequel to Max the Criminal and no one can say otherwise so.
> 
> Everything else here? Is mostly a result of me listening to my worse instincts, and me trying to deal with my absolute obsession with Rachel Amber as a character.
> 
> So yeah, enjoy my weird thing which I wrote, but just remember all the good parts weren't really my idea at first anyway.
> 
> (Also for those of you who are here for Gayliens, don't worry the next chapter is coming. I... just got distracted.)

Rachel Amber is a master of all forms of subterfuge. After all, she’s a professional actress, game player and liar; a fact she takes pride in, thank you very much.

So it’s just her luck that she’s, somehow, sort of dating someone who seems constitutionally incapable of lying. Or rather, she’s incapable of lying _well _. Sure, Max can lie, but only over text, and even then only for a little while. She has a conscience that burns at her for lying. Rachel is, therefore, obviously looking forward to prying at whatever secrets she can from Max’s pretty little head.__

__(Though, Rachel knows, in the way one knows gravity works without testing it, that Max is a fantastic _secret_ keeper. If someone’s put their confidence in Max, it’s almost certainly well placed. All the best secret keepers are awful liars, after all.)_ _

__Another fact about Rachel Amber: she is very, very quick at putting things together._ _

__(Not as much as Max the Detective, whom can take a constellation of facts and piece them together into a logical, and almost certainly correct, picture. Now if only she would stop second guessing herself; whenever Rachel presents her with yet another riddle or game, Max’s first or second instinct usually is the correct answer, but give her any time to and she talks herself into a wrong one.)_ _

__(It’s no matter, really; Rachel will build up her self-confidence. After all, the whole detective thing is really, really hot.)_ _

__So, when three relevant and connected facts present themselves to Rachel, it doesn’t take long for her to slot them into place._ _

__Fact the First: Her Lesbian Soul Sister (aka Chloe Price) has a long-missing, former best friend named Max Caulfield._ _

__Fact the First, Subset A: The fact that this Max Caulfield went missing is super important to Chloe; as important to her psychological development as the death of her father or her mother’s relationship with David._ _

__Fact the First, Subset B: Even though Chloe hasn’t said it, Rachel knows that, to this day, there’s no one as important to Chloe as Max Caulfield. That she dreams about reuniting with Max Caulfield in a very large number of ways, half of which presumably starts with slapping her, and the other half by making out with her._ _

__Fact the Second: Max let it slip, a handful of times, that she’s going to be studying at Blackwell beginning in the fall._ _

__Fact the Second, Subset A: Max does not know that Rachel lives in Arcadia Bay; Rachel has given Max that she currently lives in Oregon, but Max is under the impression that that means Portland._ _

__Fact the Second, Subset A, Clarification 1: Max is going to look so goddamn attractive, with that grin and that blush of hers, when Rachel ambushes her on the first day at Blackwell, and that’s where Rachel lets the misconception about her living circumstances stand._ _

__Fact the Second, Subset A, Clarification 1, Confession i: Rachel may have switched on Max’s GPS tracking without Max realizing. It’s… definitely not for skeevy purposes, she swears, but because she knows they will meet again, but sometimes these things need to be encouraged. Like when she bumped into Max that one time to steal her phone and then ran around Seattle with her. So she’s going to be able to plan her ambush so very well. She promises to herself that she’ll turn it off when actually seeing each other in real life becomes a regular feature of both their lives. But for now, what is she supposed to do? Leave destiny up to chance?_ _

__Fact the Second, Subset B: Max is studying at Blackwell for a photography scholarship, which means that they’ll almost certainly share some classes together. This is very important, since it means that she now has someone to pass notes to in class. Or make eyes at. Or both. Also Max is _fucking talented_ and that means she might have found the perfect photographer to model for._ _

__Fact the Third: Max, at the same time, let it slip that she’s from Arcadia Bay originally and accidentally left behind a best friend who she really hopes she can reconnect with, but is terrified to since she thinks this best friend will hate her._ _

__Fact the Third, Subset A: She speaks about this best friend in exactly the same manner that Chloe talks about Max Caulfield._ _

__Fact the Third, Subset A, Clarification 1: The name of Max’s long lost friend is Chloe Price._ _

__Conclusion? Max is Max Caulfield. Or in other words--_ _

__Somehow, she’s managed to sort of date Max Caulfield, and _damn_ if she isn’t glowing with the prospect of reuniting her two favourite people._ _

__The obvious path forward? Keep this information from both Max and Chloe and watch the fireworks from up close and personal when they reconnect again._ _

__(She ignores the little pang in the back of her mind, telling her that she’s also trying to delay the meeting of two fated lovers; after all she can guide destiny, even seize it with her own two hands, but there’s always the possibility it’ll buck her.)_ _

__(She hates that voice, and how true it sits with her.)_ _

__So, it has been thus far established that Rachel is a fantastic liar, and has a reason to lie to the two people most important in her life._ _

__“Shit dude, who is this person you’ve been texting all this time? Are they hot?”_ _

__So yes, when Chloe, out of the blue, asks her the above question, her instinct is to deflect, very subtly._ _

__(And really, where did that come from? She doesn’t text Max all the time; sure she’ll instantly check her phone every time she even imagines it vibrates. Yes, texting Max is the first thing she does in the morning, and last thing she does at night. Of course she’s willing to drop everything to text Max, or on the best days even call her, including sentences that she’s in the middle of speaking. But she doesn’t text Max _all_ the time. That would be ridiculous.)_ _

__“What about you and Steph?” Rachel cringes at that deflection; it’s clearly not her best work. She’s gotten rusty at lying to Chloe. Maybe it’s time to pick up the habit again; at least every once in awhile._ _

__(She tries to push away the thought as soon as she has it; Chloe doesn’t need Rachel lying to her. But the thought keeps coming back, swirling in in the back of her mind. It doesn’t help that she’s lying on Chloe’s bed, carefreely floating through the last of her buzz, while staring at Max’s latest text.)_ _

__“Well, yeah I mean I’m happy with Steph and all, but you can’t blame a girl for wanting to… appreciate the beautiful things in life.” Chloe grins at Rachel, her eyebrows waggling. “Anyway, stop deflecting.”_ _

__“Me, deflecting? Maybe you should stop with these heinous lies.” The force behind the words is slightly off, however (see: stoned as shit above), and Chloe stares at her, eyes wide._ _

__“Oh, holy shit! This is too good! I am agog, I am aghast. Is Rachel in love at last? I’ve never seen her ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’.”_ _

__Rachel… stares at Chloe. Absolutely shocked that she just heard what she did. “I didn’t know you knew that, you… surprisingly cultured swine you. You’ve been my best friend, my other, slightly dingier half, for nearly 3 years now, and I’m only just learning that you know the lyrics to at least one song in a musical?”_ _

__Chloe shrugs half-heartedly. “What? Les Mis? Dude, it’s about angry revolutionaries who are doomed to die, and not to sound dangerously self-aware but that’s basically a one sentence summary of like my entire schtick. _Of course_ I watched that shit. Multiple times. I’m pretty sure we watched it whiled blasted once. Plus it’s got Anne Hathaway in it. She’s hot; though the movie did kinda ruin that for me.”_ _

__“Oh?”_ _

__“Yeah, it’s hard to rub one out to a lady that you’ve seen look that emaciated and defeated and downtrodden. Kind of a lady boner killer right there.” Rachel snorts, and the buzz intensifies a little more; that’s why she likes being around Chloe when high. She brings out the right kind of laughter in her._ _

__A few moments of comfortable silence pass before Chloe speaks up again. “Don’t think we’re still not gonna talk about who this person you’re texting is and why you’re avoiding talking about.”_ _

__“Well, he’s a man named John; he’s just asking my advice since his car got stuck in a desert, and all he has to drink--”_ _

__Chloe just gives her a withering look. “Rach. I swear if you continue telling that story I will hurt you in ways you can’t even imagine. Who’s your buddy?”_ _

__Rachel sighs. She’s been hoping to avoid actually addressing the issue directly, but Chloe… shit Chloe’s too perceptive. Or Rachel is off her game. Really, either or. “It’s… I’m not sure what it is, yet. I promise I’ll let you know as soon as I do, okay?” Chloe only replies with a satisfied grunt, which causes a smile to tease Rachel’s lips. “Love you Chlo, my lesbian soul sister.”_ _

__“Love you too, Rach.”_ _

__They pass the rest of the high out in relative silence.__

__* * *_ _

_  
_

It’s two weeks before Max returns to Arcadia Bay, and Rachel is slightly dying.

__Two whole weeks, just to be lived listlessly, waiting until a beautiful, awkward hipster comes along to nab her from her boring real life and carry her off into a world of mysterious adventure. Which she’ll create. When she has inspiration. Which, sadly, seems to be sapping, equally in proportion to when she last saw Max’s face._ _

__Hell, even living around the Blackwell drama isn’t cutting it anymore. For example, Victoria (who now occupies Rachel’s phone as Blonde Prime) has been livid, recently, over the fact that Crony #1, Taylor, has been spending too much time partying with Dana._ _

__(Admittedly, the open mystery is rather boring. Just another case of Taylor showing her extreme gay toward any number of women she presumes are safe targets. It’s just history, really. She first spent time flitting around Rachel, the definition of unavailable to most. Next she basically subjected herself to a friendship with Victoria, just because then Victoria’ll give her the time of day. Though, supposedly it’s an actual friendship with Victoria behind closed doors; at least according to an extremely drunk Courtney Wagner. And now Dana, the straightest seeming queer girl Rachel knows. And Rachel knows only a handful of people _know_ , if you know what she means.)_ _

__(No, the far more interesting mystery is what Dana’s doing; she’s not acting as Rachel expects. She hasn’t publicly distanced herself from Taylor, but nor has she embraced Taylor as a defiant move against Victoria. Those were Dana’s previous go to moves to deal with Victoria. So why is Taylor different? That’s the mystery that Rachel would normally be pursuing.)_ _

__But, no, she’s not out around Blackwell and Arcadia Bay, trying to piece together what that drama is, and how best to recombine it so she comes out on top. Instead, she’s just checked Max’s phone tracker for the sixteenth time that day._ _

__Now, what is not an established feature of Rachel, thus far, is impulsiveness. Chloe might laugh in her face, and Max presumably wouldn’t believe her, considering how they met. But she isn’t impulsive. She isn’t. Just, sometimes, she makes decisions based off of new information that appears on the battlefield. She knows, if she had time to think, she’d still steal Max’s phone. After all, she had been presented with new information (namely Max’s beautiful, doe-like face), and acted appropriately._ _

__What she doesn’t have, in those moments, is time. She doesn’t have _time_ to think before she acts. She has to make the best choice right there and then; and she does. Sometimes the consequences spin out of control, but she does try to fix them. She does._ _

__So, no she’s not impulsive. However idle hands are the Devil’s workshop; and so she feels her own resolve, chipped away by each click of the second hand, twirling around a clock._ _

__When someone sits on the bench next to her, Rachel doesn’t look at them, already sensing that to do so would be a bad idea._ _

__“You’re moping.” She didn’t need to see the smug face on the other end of that voice; the lilt of victory mixed with condescension and annoyance. A fairly awful cocktail, and Rachel considers herself a connoisseur of cocktails._ _

__So she tries to handle Victoria in the only way she knows how; pressing her most potent buttons._ _

__First, the “I’m actually a manic pixie dream girl” routine. “It’s Tuesday. I’m deciding whether or not it’s worth knowing the terrible truth about the snake in order to gain a final wish.”_ _

__“Jesus fuck, this is why I can never have a normal conversation with you.” Less successful than hoped, but not an unsurprising result._ _

__Next, nickname. Rachel snorts. “If that’s the case; what do you even want, Tori?”_ _

__Rachel can hear the clenched jaw in Victoria’s voice. Point scored. “Surprisingly, and for reasons I cannot fathom, most people care about what you have to say or think. Now, I have accepted this, mostly because your desire to… meddle with the social fabric--.”_ _

__Finally, dismissal. “Jesus _fuck_ Victoria, this is not some business meeting or any other shit like that. Just tell Taylor to go get a fucking girlfriend already. That’d solve your problem in about two heartbeats.” Not true, at all. But it would leave Victoria busy enough to leave Rachel alone for a while. Plus the fireworks might be an enjoyably transient state, to pass some time._ _

__(Plus, she’s fairly sure it would… solve some sort of problem. Somewhere. Taylor might actually just take the advice; and dammit, if Rachel doesn’t love a happy ending.)_ _

__Dismissal, unfortunately, generates confusion. “I--ex-fucking-cuse me?”_ _

__“What?”_ _

__“What the fuck are you even talking about?”_ _

__“Uh the fact that we both know Taylor’s gay as shit but only crushes on unavailable girls? Which explains everything about her and Dana.” Well, most things. But Rachel’s not going to be the one to explain to Victoria that Taylor may or may not currently have a girlfriend in the form a cheerleader, however Rachel really doesn’t know since she hasn’t examined the situation closely enough._ _

__“Not what I came here to talk to you about. Though,” Victoria glares at Rachel, “we will be coming back to that. But, no, what I came here to say is that you need to snap the fuck out of it.”_ _

__“What?”_ _

__“Look, your whole moping shit was possibly cute at first, but it’s been like 5 weeks and you’re still being a mopey bitch. Everyone sorta fucking hates it, but won’t come out and say it. Probably because only _I_ know why.”_ _

__Okay, so Rachel’s shaken a little, and only now is regaining her footing. So she goes for a Bitchtoria classic; simultaneously familiar yet unaffected. “Dude, I am not fucking moping.”_ _

__Victoria is not paying Rachel any attention; instead examining each of her nails in turn, boredly. “You, Rachel Amber, are the picture of moping. Look, just go back to Seattle and track down hipster waif girl who I do not understand the appeal of, but whatever. Or get laid or really fucking high or drunk or some combination of those. Or literally anything that will make you get your shit together Amber. Or don’t. I don’t actually give a shit; I’m just the only one willing to actually do the ‘hard’ part of solving problems.” And with that, Victoria stands and walks away; as dramatic and performative as ever._ _

___Fuck_ Rachel hates it when Victoria’s right. Or when Victoria’s even close to being right. She’s always so… smug about it. And it makes Rachel feel like shit._ _

__That evening has her researching bus tickets to Seattle.__

__* * *_ _

_  
_

The bus leaves Arcadia Bay at 10:30 in the morning.

__Rachel is sitting on it, backpack between her knees, at 10:25._ _

__(No one else knows, of course. It’s not like her parents will actually take notice that she spent the day in Seattle; and if they do, just telling them that she went with some friends for the day would get them to stop thinking about it. So, all she had to do was text Chloe, begging illness. Works like a charm.)_ _

__At 10:28, an individual with a beanie pulled down over her head, eyes downcast, sits next to Rachel. She can see the blue hair peaking out underneath it, can smell the pot reeking from this person. Can see all the other empty spaces on the bus, just waiting to be filled._ _

__Rachel hisses. “Chloe Elizabeth Price.”_ _

__Chloe doesn’t look up, eyes looking downward. “Rachel Dawn Amber.” The levity in Chloe’s voice just… annoys Rachel further._ _

__“What the hell are you doing here?”_ _

__Finally, Chloe meets her gaze, and Chloe’s eyes reveal a hundred different emotions. None of them good. “Me? What the hell are you doing here? Going to Seattle?”_ _

__“How did you even find out?”_ _

__“Well, when my _best friend_ said that she was feeling really sick and infectious and can’t hang, I, being the bestest friend you’ll ever have and knowing what a dramatic little shit you are, went to visit your dorm. To, you know, cheer you up? And bring you some soup, since that’s what _friends_ do.” Rachel’s now the one who can’t meet Chloe’s eyes. “So imagine my surprise when I go into your dorm room, loaded with as many cans of shitty ass chicken noodle as I could steal from Step-Douche’s apocalypse store or whatever, to find it empty._ _

__“Now, I gave you the benefit of the doubt; maybe you were, I don’t know, on the shitter or throwing up or something. So I decided to amuse myself, check in with our Sims. See how good ol’ Beefimus Jr. Jr. Jr. was doing. Only, when I happened to log-in, the first thing I saw was...” Her voice trails off; the answer obvious._ _

__Yet Rachel has to finish the thought. She mumbles, “The receipt”, before turning her head to look out the window. Sometime during Chloe’s accusation, the bus had started rolling. Too late to turn back now._ _

__“Bingo! Now why the fuck are you skipping town _without_ me?”_ _

__And, _oh_ , that’s why Chloe’s pissed._ _

__(Rachel knows that Chloe has abandonment issues out the ass. Shit, Chloe’s worried about Rachel abandoning her enough times for her to know what it feels like to be on the other end of it. But… it’s been so long since Chloe’s made an issue of Rachel abandoning her. And never on this scale.)_ _

__(Leaving Arcadia Bay, together. That’s _their_ dream. Since they made that promise, Rachel has never imagined leaving Arcadia Bay without Chloe; not by choice, at least.)_ _

__“Chloe, it’s not what you think.”_ _

__“The what the fuck is it Rach?” Okay, Chloe used the nickname. That’s… not the worst sign._ _

__(It means that she’s either about to snap at Rachel, a move which might end with both of them kicked off the bus at best, or that she’s willing to hear Rachel out, which could end up well or disastrously, depending on how Chloe reacts to the fact that Rachel has definitely made out with Max Caulfield.)_ _

__Rachel turns back to meet Chloe’s eyes, needing her to understand. “Look, I’m not sure you want to know.”_ _

__“Why? Are you going to Seattle to get laid or some shit like that? Wait, is that where your secret sexting buddy lives?” Rachel feels realization dawn in Chloe. “Oh shit it is; you’ve been acting weird since you came back from Seattle. That’s why!”_ _

__Rachel sighs. “Look, Chloe, you’re right, I did meet someone while I was in Seattle. But I really, really needed some more time before the two of you meet.”_ _

__“I guess it’s a little too late for that now. Anyway,” Chloe grins, “why not put them up to the best friend test early, so if they’re shit, you can cut them out_ _

__(The grin hurts, since it’s clear that Chloe is swallowing her feelings, her pain, just to not make Rachel any more upset.)_ _

__She knows it’s a bad idea; an awful idea. She should just make up the fact that her “friend” just cancelled on her. Spend the day in Seattle with Chloe. They can have fun._ _

__(Except it’s Max. She can’t even insinuate Max being the type to do that; especially when Chloe already believes that about Max.)_ _

__Rachel has been hoping for more time; hoping that she’d have a plan to control the outcomes since this… predicting this is way outside her comfort zone. WIll Chloe blow up? Will Max? Will they fall into passionate embrace? But it’s too late, anyway. And perhaps she’s tired of it, after all. So she just nods her head. “Okay. We can do that.”__

__* * *_ _

_  
_

The bus ride to Seattle is long and boring and oh so quiet. Rachel hates it.

__The walk to Max’s house from the nearest bus terminal? Even longer and more boring and quiet. Each time she passes a Starbucks, Rachel feels an urge to suggest a little detour; to go and grab a bite to eat, a drink and maybe something for Max._ _

__(Over the last month, she’s grown a little more fond of Starbucks: it’s the kind of place that Max likes; not because of its atmosphere or personal story but because it has free wifi.)_ _

__What is there to talk about, really? Chloe certainly wants to know more about Rachel’s “friend”, but she’ll see everything soon enough._ _

__(Really, Rachel is terrified; mind running rampant, even if she doesn’t know what, exactly, she’s dreading. She just _knows_ , really. Knows like the joke that Max and Chloe won’t let her finish. She knows, once the two see each other, Rachel Amber’s carefully constructed house of cards will collapse, and with it, the facade that is Rachel will crumble to dust and with it, all her likability washed away.)_ _

__So, no more than a dozen words and glances are shared between the two, before they come to stand in front of a house. Max’s house. The house where she had been aiming to get here the whole time. The house in which, Rachel knows, for a fact, that Max Caulfield is inside._ _

__(Or at least her phone is.)_ _

__She stands next to the door, finger lightly pressing the doorbell, when she pauses a moment, turns to Chloe and simply says. “I’m sorry.” Then she rings the doorbell._ _

__Before Chloe has a chance to answer any questions, the door opens, and wouldn’t you know it? One of Rachel Amber’s favourite faces responds._ _

__One of her favourite faces, caught halfway between confusion and delight, as eyes widen, uncomprehending. “Rach--” And there, she’s turned slightly to the left._ _

__“Max Caulfield as I live and breathe.” Chloe’s voice is icy and tender, brittle. Max’s expression matches Chloe’s voice, if not her own._ _

__“C-chloe? Is…”_ _

__“Yeah, it’s me. Not like you fucking care.” Chloe turns to Rachel. “And you’re pulling this fucking shit on me? You found Max Fucking Caulfield and kept that to your fucking self.”_ _

__“Chloe.”_ _

__Chloe points a finger at Rachel’s face. “No. No, no no. You don’t get to pull this _fucking bullshit_ on me. Fuck you Rach.” Chloe’s finger changes tactic and actually jabs her chest, pushing her back slightly._ _

__“Chloe.” This time it’s Max’s voice, trying to cut through the tension. Chloe… softens, a little._ _

__(Never has she softened for Rachel. Not like that. So that… that’s the power Max has. No wonder their relationship is so… powerful. Overwhelming, Rachel might say if she’s feeling particularly dramatic on that day.)_ _

__(She’s really rooting for them to succeed.)_ _

__“Chloe, come on in. I… I think we have a lot to talk about.” Max reaches out, grabbing Chloe’s wrist, oh so gently, and _pulling_. Pulling Chloe into her home, to reconnect their bond._ _

__And the door closes in front of Rachel._ _

__(It’s not like it slammed on her face, no. She just knows… this isn’t her moment to steal. She’s done enough.)_ _

__(The fool she is for singing the fucking body electric; or perhaps she didn’t sing it enough. She’s not fully sure. Oh that man, John, he loved and lost and lived, but nothing will match his years, seeing the world with his Godson. That is the tragedy behind the comedy. That is Rachel Amber’s life.)_ _

__Chloe gets pulled in by a shocked Max; Rachel remains standing outside.__

__* * *_ _

_  
_

Rachel is standing outside; well, really she’s sitting on the lawn. (Saying she’s standing somehow seems more dignified.) She’s spent the last twenty minutes reflecting on her current situation. There are things she knows:

__Awful Reality the First: Max and Chloe are inside playing “best friend catch up” (probably with tongue)._ _

__Awful Reality the First, Inconvenient Truth A: They have almost certainly forgotten all about her._ _

__Awful Reality the Second: The grass is freshly mowed beneath her; it feels nice, pressing into her legs. She wonders if her shorts are going to stain green, but she’s not sure she can be bothered to care much about it._ _

__Awful Reality the Third: Mrs. Johnstone is the worst. Rachel knows that, from how Max talks about her middle-aged neighbour. But she never knew how much the worst she is, with her pinched face and sniveling nose. Or the way she peers over her glasses, eyes cautiously taking in Rachel._ _

__And her voice, barely hiding the accusations lying underneath. “Well, who are you, dear?”_ _

__Rachel swallows; it’s harder to play disaffected than usual. “Rachel Amber.”_ _

__“A friend of Maxine’s?”_ _

__The question shocks Rachel, and she gasps involuntarily. “Well, girlfriend. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully? Unknown, really. Okay it’s likely that she’s not my girlfriend anymore, if we ever were, but, you know, it would be nice.”_ _

__“Oh, it’s like _that_ , is it?”_ _

__And this is the final thing to know about Rachel Amber, it’s that she’s _angry_. A lifetime of pent up aggression and crippling self-worth issues will do that to someone. She usually gets the release she needs verbally sparring with Victoria or passive-aggressively sniping at Victoria or just interacting with Victoria at all, but the frustrations of recent weeks, the concern that roils in her stomach, and she just… She can’t stand the sight of Mrs. Johnstone clipping her hedge, commenting on Max as if her (Mrs. Johnstone’s) out of date life and opinions somehow matter a single _fucking_ thing to Rachel or Max or anybody. So, she decides to take matters into her own hands._ _

__“Yep. It’s exactly like _that_. After all, I think it’s great to have a real orgasm once in awhile.”_ _

__To top it all off, she reaches into her bag, pulling out her emergency joint and lights it. She makes a vague offering gesture toward the absolutely shocked looking Mrs. Johnstone, and smirks. “Gotta love bi ladies who blaze it, huh?”__

__* * *_ _

_  
_

Rachel is sitting on Max’s bed, while Max stands over her, eyes colder than she’s seen them. Her voice is steady, calm, but Rachel can tell it’s a conscious effort. “Why did you do that?”

__(Rachel briefly wonders where Chloe is; Max is the one who dragged her inside to her room, apologizing profusely to a screaming Mrs. Johnstone. Rachel didn’t get anything like a good look. Is Chloe just lurking in the shadows somewhere? Just waiting to yell at Rachel?)_ _

__“What? Mrs. Johnstone deserved it!”_ _

__“Not just Mrs. Johnstone! Any of this! Why did you come here? How did you even know I would be here? I told you Kristen and Fernando are coming back today so I might have been somewhere else! And why the fuck is Chloe here?” It’s on Chloe’s name that Max’s voice cracks._ _

__Rachel tries one last ditch effort to salvage this; though she knows it’s doomed to fail. “Well, funny story there. So I was there, Nate Jr. the Snake next to me--”_ _

__Max’s eyes soften just barely the slightest, as if she knows. “No, Rachel. I just need you to… trust me. Tell me the truth, please.”_ _

__“Well the first, and really worst truth, is that I turned on your “find my phone” feature and hooked it up so I could sort of follow where you are?” Rachel barrels on before Max can react. “And, after I left Seattle, I sort of figured out quickly that you were Chloe’s Max and had no idea how to tell anyone, for some really selfish reasons too since basically you two talk about each other like you’re long lost soulmates. And I’m fairly sure that you’d hate me if you knew I knew Chloe._ _

__“Chloe’s not supposed to be here, however. She just followed me, when I came to surprise you. Also, to be one hundred percent clear, I definitely live in Arcadia Bay, not Portland, and go to Blackwell, so we’re going to have classes together. That seems important at the moment. Mrs. Johnstone is a bitch so I’m not sorry about that. Umm… I think that’s it?”_ _

__Max sits there, silence. “Rachel, what the fuck.”_ _

__“I know I just--”_ _

__Max cuts off Rachel. “What happened to ‘people are easy’? Like putting aside that extremely stalker thing and Mrs. Johnstone, the simplest thing to do to make me happy is to tell me. And not do things like track me at all times, or fight with my neighbour and smoke a joint in front of her.”_ _

__“First, I lit the joint, but did not inhale. Second, if I were honest, then you wouldn’t like me!”_ _

__All the energy, the frosty climate of the room seems to drain instantly at that. Max no longer looks angry or upset or mad; just… small. “Rachel… of course I would have. The parts of you that… frustrate me are the parts that you used to hide honest Rachel. And I really like honest Rachel. The one who tells me about her day. The one who tells me dorky jokes. Who sends intentionally bad photos of whatever catches her interest. Not the Rachel who thinks it’s necessary to steal a phone to see me again, or suddenly appears out of thin air with my former best friend in tow. Sure, we might have missed out; obviously. But shit happens, Rach. We can’t control everything.”_ _

__And there… something clicks in Rachel’s brain. The world shifts and yet remains the same. A new perspective. Warm arms wrap around her, and she can feel a damp spot growing on the fabric underneath her cheek._ _

__(She doesn’t remember the last time she cried. It must have been years ago. It’s surprisingly comfortable.)_ _

__After several minutes, Rachel pulls away, wiping away her tears._ _

__(Max’s arms still remain around her; just a little looser. Rachel doesn’t have the heart to ask her to tighten them again.)_ _

__“Thanks, Max. I guess I needed that.” She pauses; looks over, Max’s face right next to hers. “Now what?”_ _

__“Rach, I know we’ve been super unclear on what… this is,” Max frees a hand to gesture between herself and Rachel, pink tinging her face prettily, “and I do really like you. But… I think you need to take some time to figure out how not to be an ass. Like especially the whole phone tracking thing was about ten levels too far. And I think you can do that. So… maybe when I get to Blackwell, we can try something?”_ _

__Rachel smiles; it’s not thrilled, but gentle, accepting. It’s probably the right thing to do. “That would be nice.”__

__* * *_ _

_  
_

Chloe, it turns out, is waiting downstairs, awkwardly sitting on the couch. “Hey, Chlo? I’m here to… apologize. I really didn’t mean to be springing Max on you; shit I didn’t even realize it was your Max until about a week after we met. After all, how many hipster Max’s do you think live in Seattle?” Rachel chuckles, but there’s no real energy behind it. “And then… fuck I didn’t know how to tell you. Especially once I heard she’d be going to Blackwell.

__“But that’s not really an excuse. Since I didn’t know how to tell you that I was seeing your best friend who abandoned you; didn’t know how to tell her that yeah, you two would come out the other end stronger, because you would. I didn’t know how to tell her that, yeah, she basically has permission to replace me with you.”_ _

__Chloe regards her, patting the seat next to her. “Look… Rach. I’m sorry.”_ _

__Rachel sits down at the offered seat, sinking into the well-worn couch. “What the fuck are you sorry about?”_ _

__“I mean, I get that… it’d be hard. For you to talk about Max to me. After all, I don’t have the best track record of… reacting appropriately. I’m a fucking mess, okay? And seeing Max… is complicated. Fuck, even after ten minutes, we were chatting like old times; it’s only then that we noticed you didn’t come inside with the two of us. So yeah, like I get it; you really like her, and how could I blame you? Which is why it was hard to say anything to me.”_ _

__Rachel nods halfheartedly. “Yeah, still doesn’t excuse my shitty behaviour.”_ _

__Chloe laughs. “It doesn’t. You still acted shittily; and I bet there’s more shit piled there somewhere that I don’t know about. But Rach, you’re my best friend. I know I don’t say it often, but you are. And I love you and Max. So yeah, it’s going to suck for the next bit, but we’ll be fine.”_ _

__Rachel curls up against Chloe, who gently wraps an arm around her. She watches Max as she joins them, deciding to curl up into Rachel’s other side._ _

__And so, Rachel finds herself agreeing. Yeah, they’re all going to be fine.__

__* * *_ _

_  
_

So, there are things that anyone should know about Rachel Amber. First, and foremost, she’s a recovering pathological liar. She doesn’t manage to not tell lies, like all the time. She still does. Lying is easy and oftentimes undetectable. But she’s trying; especially for Max and Chloe (and shit, even Victoria to a certain extent). She tries to correct herself, to put things into appropriate context for people. It’s hard, oh so hard, but she tries.

__Second, she is very quick on the uptake, but sometimes she can draw incorrect conclusions from the data. It still gets results she wants, yet hurt people in the process. She’s still not good about not running away from her actions by plowing head-on into the next solution to solve. She knows people; people are easy. But only in the short term. And it’s time she acknowledges it._ _

__Finally, while she will never apologize about what she said to Mrs. Johnstone because, damn she deserved it, but she knows that she’s quicker to anger than she ought to be. But, once again, she’s working on that._ _

__Which brings us to the true final thing to know about Rachel Amber: she wasn’t working on improving herself for a long time; letting old habits wear their way into her life until she can’t see anything but the channels they left behind._ _

__But because of her tiny hipster not-really girlfriend but maybe one day, and her ridiculous punk best friend, she’s working on it now. And, you know what they say, better late than never._ _

__(Also, better lever than Nate, and ah… she supposes she should leave the puns to Max; she doesn’t have time to explain that one. Not when there’s proof that Taylor and Dana are definitely hooking up. Somewhere. She’s just got to get to work finding out where.)_ _

**Author's Note:**

> So, yes, for people who are keeping track at home. The history of this story goes:
> 
> D (that is, me, your writer Lola_McGee) gets sick one day and complains about the dearth of Amberfield fics to the best writer of Rachel Amber I know, IVT (It'sAVikingThing, look I'm lazy okay?), and since IVT is too nice, they wrote me one. It was really good and made me happy and touched on everything Rachel Amber I needed in my life.
> 
> Fast forward a while, and D (again, me) eventually gets around to playing Before the Storm. This gives me a lot of Rachel Amber feels and I slowly come up with an idea for a fic; a half baked one, but one anyway. So then I asked permission to write it. IVT (again, being awesome) said yes. We then proceed to spitball back and forth ideas, and they give me a lot of ideas for the sequel they had thought of, and they sounded pretty great so I took them.
> 
> Finally, as I finish up this fic, we agree to make it a series. And now, this thing that started off with a nice Amberfield gift from a good person to me has ended up, canonically, to include a sort of break-up, two more pairings that I have no idea if people, in general, are actually on board with but I am and that's all that matters, and an in detail character study that's not kind to Rachel Amber, the character who started this whole thing anyway.
> 
> (Oh also I put in really weird references to my favourite joke of all time, completely out of context; if any of you can get it, or know the joke congrats! You just earned the fact that it takes me about 20 minutes to tell the joke out loud, and that's the short version since once I've been talking about 20 minutes straight people do want to actually fight me. If you don't know the joke/didn't get it, booooo you didn't earn that fact. Go forget that you ever knew that fact.)
> 
> (Also made sure I included the phrase "the body electric" since that's a lesbian phrase now, I have randomly decided. It just sounds like one, at least.)
> 
> Don't ask me how that happened.
> 
> My [Tumblr!](alienbeegenders.tumblr.com) Come yell at me! 
> 
> Or ItsAVikingThing's [Tumblr!](postfuguestate.tumblr.com) Tell them that they have way too much patience toward me, since it's true!


End file.
